2013 March | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Redick, Kobe, Lottery Odds

March 16th, 2013 at 10:29pm CST by Ryan Raroque

J.J. Redick spent nearly six and a half seasons with the Magic before being dealt to the Bucks right before the trade deadline. According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, Redick says that he never felt any ill-will toward the Magic organization during the process and completely understands why they traded him: "Based on Arron (Afflalo) being there and who’s in the draft this year and where the Magic are likely to pick, there’s no way they would commit anything to me long-term — not just me, but just anybody in my situation. From a business standpoint, from a cap-building and rebuilding standpoint, it wouldn’t make sense. I get that. That’s fine."

You can find more of what we've gathered up from the Association tonight below:

Mark Medina of the LA Daily News (via Twitter) provides a brief update of Lakers star Kobe Bryant's injury status, saying that his ankle sprain is considered serious enough to deem his return indefinite.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets that the draft lottery odds will be affected on a nightly basis moving forward, as eight teams have between 22-24 wins. Most notably, those teams could be choosing as high as third or as low as tenth depending on how their season ends.
Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW thinks that Brandan Wright's dependable play could very well make him a keeper for the Mavericks for the long-term.
Marco Belinelli has relished his time in Chicago so far, and the Bulls shooting guard – once viewed as Kyle Korver's replacement as a perimeter shooter – has worked hard to remove the stereotype that he's just a one-dimensional player (Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports).
Shaun Livingston has been the beneficiary of heavy playing time for Cavaliers coach Byron Scott, who has looked to the 6'7 point guard to fill in for the injured Kyrie Irving, observes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer.
Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel catches up with former Bucks forward Tobias Harris, who appears to be thriving in a significant role with the Magic.
Perry Jones III credits the Thunder veterans for preparing him before he filled in for the injured Hasheem Thabeet on Friday, says Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK. Coach Scott Brooks made note of the rookie's eight-point, five rebound performance, and despite saying that there currently isn't any room in the rotation, the Baylor product has "a very bright future" with the team.

Proposed Harden For Thompson Deal “Impossible”

March 16th, 2013 at 10:15pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Although we recently picked up on Bill Simmons' Grantland article mentioning that the Warriors and Thunder engaged in exploratory talks involving Klay Thompson and James Harden last summer, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News firmly refutes the interpretation that Golden State 'turned down' an offer with Oklahoma City. While he says that Simmons' information in the article is correct and acknowledges that GM Sam Presti's interest in Thompson was accurate, Kawakami explains why a deal would have been "practically impossible."

First, Kawakami looks at Harden's eventual max-contract extension, which would have likely required the Warriors to simultaneously unload Richard Jefferson or Andris Biedrins' contracts. That alone, he says, was already a non-starter for the Thunder, who would not have been willing to take back either of those deals. Secondly, Kawakami points out that the earliest draft choice that Golden State could have offered would have been a 2015 first-rounder, due to the fact that this year's pick is owed to the Jazz and that teams are unable to trade a first-round pick in consecutive seasons (therefore eliminating the inclusion of a 2014 pick). With that in mind, he argues that Oklahoma City wouldn't have favored or been able to gauge the value of a draft choice that would be determined two years from now.

He then refers to what the Thunder actually received in the deal: Kevin Martin on a short-term contract, two potential first round picks this summer (one likely to fall in the lottery), and Jeremy Lamb (a lottery pick from 2012).

While it's reasonable to presume that Presti would have been willing get into more serious discussions with the Warriors if they were able to somehow acquire one or two 2013-14 draft picks, Kawakami says that doing so would have required a major roster shake up, possibly costing Harrison Barnes and/or trading David Lee for much lesser value, and thus leaving a roster with heavy financial commitments to Stephen Curry, Harden, and Andrew Bogut.

In the event that Golden State wouldn't have had to give up Lee and also kept Jefferson and Biedrins, Kawakami shows how the team could have had an annual salary figure of $78MM spanning just 8 players, with the task of filling out the roster potentially costing an additional $6MM. In summation, he concludes that there was no draft choice for the Warriors include, no clear way of making the numbers work, and "no official give and take in the supposed offer."

Odds & Ends: Stuckey, Monroe, Macvan

March 16th, 2013 at 9:35pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The last time the Pistons earned a trip to the postseason was in 2008-09, when they drew the first-seeded Cavaliers led by LeBron James and were subsequently swept. Of the 12 active players on Detroit's playoff roster that year, only three remain today – Will Bynum, Jason Maxiell, and Rodney Stuckey. While Stuckey has a partially guaranteed contract in 2013-14, Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News says that "nobody would be surprised" if the 6'5 guard is traded before next season, particularly before the draft in June. Here's more of this evening's miscellaneous links:

Lakers big man Pau Gasol encountered some soreness in his foot after participating in a game of two-on-two at the team's practice facility today, writes Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times. The cause and extent of the of the soreness weren't clear, and he plans to visit a foot specialist on Sunday.
In the above piece, Goodwill adds that Greg Monroe, who is set to become a restricted free agent after next year, remains confident that GM Joe Dumars is capable of turning the struggling team around.
The Cavaliers have no plans of bringing Milan Macvan – their 2011 second round draft choice – on board anytime soon, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. The 23-year-old Serbian big man is currently playing for Galatasaray in Turkey.
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy provides a list of D-Leaguers at every position who could be in line for a callup, with eight D-League players having already inked with NBA teams in March (Sulia link).
One scout tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that this year's NCAA tourney will have a major impact on determining the order of the players selected in June. Citing how weak he believes the upcoming draft class is, the scout also tells Amico that a star from a small school could wind up being selected in the lottery again, the same way Damian Lillard emerged out of Weber State last year.
John Rohde of The Oklahoman takes a look at some of the players the Thunder could get with the lottery pick they're expected to receive from the Raptors this year.
The team that wins the Las Vegas Summer League, which is reportedly switching to a tournament style format this year, will have the cost of its additional tournament games reimbursed by the league, sources tell Ric Bucher of CSNBayArea.com.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

New York Notes: Deron, Chandler, Carmelo

March 16th, 2013 at 8:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

With the Knicks set to face the Clippers during what has been a dreary road trip and the Nets hosting the Hawks in Brooklyn, both teams could find itself in a virtual tie for first place in the Atlantic Division tomorrow if Los Angeles wins and Atlanta loses. While Manhattan deals with the uncertainty of Carmelo Anthony's knee, Brooklyn finds Deron Williams in the middle of what appears to be his second wind, as Newsday's Roderick Boone observes that the point guard looks to be past the ankle pains that limited him early on this season. Here's more out of New York tonight:

Tyson Chandler, who joins Anthony in recovering from an injury, views this as an opportunity for both of them to get enough rest to prepare them for a last season push, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. In addition to calling it a "blessing in disguise," Chandler also told reporters: "I feel like (Carmelo) will fully heal and be back over the next couple of games…I know I will be back in the next couple of games. So we won with this lineup at the beginning of this year. That's when we went on our tear, and there's no reason why we can't get right back to that."
In reading a Wall-Street Journal piece about Carmelo, Marc Berman of the New York Post points out the impact that the Knicks star had on J.R. Smith, who credits Anthony for reigning in his focus this year (Sulia link).
Despite the two teams being finished with their regular season meetings, Howard Beck of the New York Times breaks down the remaining challenges that the cross-town rivals face in the race for the Atlantic Division.

Atlantic Rumors: Humphries, Knicks, Moultrie

March 16th, 2013 at 4:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

Few third-place teams have a legitimate shot at a division title this late in the season, but the Celtics are an exception. The current No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference could erase a three and a half game deficit in the Atlantic Division to climb over the Nets and Knicks if they keep up their surprisingly torrid pace in the wake of Rajon Rondo's injury. The banged-up Knicks haven't played quite as well amidst their health woes, and the Nets, while relatively healthy, haven't been able to generate much momentum of late. Here's the latest on a few Atlantic teams as this season's race nears its conclusion:

Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo has said he plans to bring Kris Humphries back into the team's rotation soon, but Humphries, whom Brooklyn reportedly offered to multiple teams at the trade deadline, isn't sure he'll be around the Nets in any capacity much longer. Fred Kerber of the New York Post has the details. "You’ve got to look at the situation," Humphries said. "It’s hard to say right now. Who knows who’s going to be here? A lot of things can change here."
Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com speculates that James White, Pablo Prigioni and Kurt Thomas could be potential roster casualties if the Knicks elect to sign Delonte West, whom they're reportedly monitoring. The injured Rasheed Wallace would seem the most logical choice to go, but coach Mike Woodson insists he won't be waived, Begley notes.
Rookie Arnett Moultrie has seen little playing time this year, but the Sixers plan to increase his minutes down the stretch to see what they have in the 27th overall pick from this past year, observes John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Deron Williams is averaging 23.6 points per game in March, well above his mark for the season, and he explained some of the reasons for his increased production to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Sulia link).

Jazz Expected To Keep Either Jefferson Or Millsap

March 16th, 2013 at 3:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

After keeping both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap at the trade deadline, Utah is expected to re-sign one of them, but not the other, when they both hit unrestricted free agency this summer, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. The Jazz will likely pursue a sign-and-trade for whichever of the pair they don't keep, Amico adds.

Removing one of the team's starting big men would open up playing time for Derrick Favors, who'll be in the final year of his rookie-scale contract next season and is up for an extension this summer. The Jazz also have center Enes Kanter, who's a recent No. 3 overall pick, just like Favors. Utah's front office is notoriously tight-lipped, and there was plenty of conflicting information before the trade deadline about whether the team was more likely to deal away Jefferson or Millsap. It turned out to be neither, though it would be even more surprising to see the Jazz keep both of them through the summer.

Jefferson makes nearly twice as much as Millsap this season, but they could be in line for similar deals in free agency. They're putting up matching 20.6 PERs this year, and the 28-year-olds are separated in age by just a month and six days. Jefferson, at 6'10", has the ability to play center that the 6'8" Millsap lacks, and the paucity of true centers figures to make Jefferson slightly more sought-after on the market.

The Jazz have Bird rights on both players and can outbid other teams, and they figure to have about $25.3MM in commitments this summer, leaving plenty of cap space to pursue other free agents if they let either Millsap or Jefferson go. They could use some of that room to accomodate whomever they can get back in a sign-and-trade, but their potential sign-and-trade partners will be somewhat limited under provisions of the new collective bargaining agreement that kick in this offseason. Taxpaying teams can't acquire anyone via sign-and-trade, so the Lakers, for instance, who brought in Steve Nash on a sign-and-trade last summer, couldn't do so this year without shedding other salaries to get below the tax line.

Hawks Want To Re-Sign Josh Smith, Kyle Korver

March 16th, 2013 at 2:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Among the items in Sam Amico's leaguewide roundup for Fox Sports Ohio today, he passes along that "word is" the Hawks will make re-signing Josh Smith and Kyle Korver their top priorities in the summer. If they prove to be out of Atlanta's price range, the team is likely to try to sign-and-trade one or both of those players.

Smith made headlines earlier this season when he said he felt he was deserving of a maximum-salary contract, but more recently clarified that his statements were in response to a question and not meant as a pronouncement ahead of this summer's negotiations. Nonetheless, it seems likely he'll go after a max deal, which would be worth nearly $100MM from the Hawks and a little more than $74MM if he signed with another team. Since Amico's report indicates there's a limit on how much they'll spend to retain Smith, it doesn't look like they're willing to give him the full max. They might be open to structing the deal so that Smith gets more than the $74MM he could get from another club, however, retaining their financial advantage over the rest of the league, but that's just my speculation.

Korver isn't nearly the player Smith is, but he leads the league with a 45.9% three-point percentage, and figures to have no shortage of suitors this summer. The Nuggets are already reportedly targeting Korver, who's expressed a willingness to consider a return to the Jazz and Bulls, two of his former teams. When Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors examined Korver's free agent stock earlier this month, he wrote that an offer somewhere in the neighborhood of the full mid-level exception, which includes a first-year salary of $5.15MM, might get a deal done.

The Hawks will have plenty of room under the cap to sign Smith, Korver and others this summer, when they'll have little more than $18.5MM in commitments. It appears GM Danny Ferry and company plan to be judicious with that room and aren't dead-set on re-signing any of their players if they're putting a limit on how high they'll go for the two men they count as their top priorities. That they would consider a sign-and-trade for both Smith and Korver could suggest that they don't want to rely completely on building next season's roster with free agents from other teams.

D-League Moves: De Colo, Shengelia, Taylor

March 16th, 2013 at 2:19pm CST by Zachary Links

We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page:

The Spurs have recalled guard Nando De Colo from the D-League, the team announced via press release. The 25-year-old rookie returns from his third stint with the Austin Toros, and like the first two, it only lasted a day. De Colo notched 17 points and 11 assists to help Austin to a win in last night's game against the Los Angeles D-Fenders. De Colo has also averaged 11.5 minutes of action in 57 games for San Antonio this year, putting up 3.4 PPG and 1.7 APG.
The Nets announced that they have recalled forward Tornike Shengelia and guard Tyshawn Taylor from the Springfield Armor of the NBA D-League. Both players were assigned to Springfield just yesterday. Headng into last night's game against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Shengelia posted 26.8 PPG and 9.2 RPG in six D-League contests while Taylor averaged 26.5 PPG and 7.5 APG in four games with the Armor.

Poll: Which Guards Should The Bucks Re-Sign?

March 16th, 2013 at 1:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks made perhaps the most high-profile acquisition at a subdued trade deadline, bringing J.J. Redick into the fold as a third guard. He’s bolstered the team’s scoring punch off the bench, but he, like starting guards Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, could sign elsewhere in free agency this summer.

Each member of Milwaukee’s backcourt trio has a different contractual route out of town. Redick’s is the simplest, since his deal is up this summer, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent. There have been indications that the team is prepared to offer him a five-year, $40MM contract to stick around.

Ellis can also elect to become an unrestricted free agent if he invokes the early-termination option on his contract to turn down the $11MM he’s due next season. Marc Stein of ESPN.com explained last night how there are conflicting opinions on which way he’ll go with that option.

Jennings is in the final year of his rookie-scale contract and is set for restricted free agency this summer. The Bucks can match any offer for Jennings as long as they extend him a one-year, $4.531MM qualifying offer, but Jennings has threatened to sign that qualifying offer, taking much less than market value in return for unrestricted free agency in 2014.

The Bucks have Bird rights for all three players, and they can give them all more money over more years than other teams can offer. Milwaukee has only about $30MM tied up for next season, and Ersan Ilyasova, in the first season of a five-year, $40MM contract, is their only major long-term commitment. The Bucks will have a potential extension for Larry Sanders to worry about this summer, but they appear to have plenty of payroll flexibility.

So, assuming Ellis invokes his option to get out of his deal, giving Milwaukee a decision to make regarding all three of its premier guards this summer, let us know which of them you think they should push to re-sign.

Knicks Notes: Mozgov, Martin, Kidd, Anthony

March 16th, 2013 at 12:03pm CST by Zachary Links

The Nets and Knicks won't meet again in the regular season, but they are still on a collision course all the same, writes Howard Beck of the New York Times. Regardless of how things break for New York, they could find themselves with some difficult matchups in the postseason besides Brooklyn. The Knicks have struggled against the Pacers (1-2) and the Bulls (0-3), while the Nets (2-2) and the Celtics (1-1) have given them trouble. Here's more out of MSG..

Former Knicks center Timofey Mozgov will be a restricted free agent this summer and he makes no secret of the fact that he enjoyed his time in New York, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. “We got the option to choose a team where I can play,’’ Mozgov said. “I can’t say [Nuggets coach] George [Karl] is bad. Of course it’s not a good feeling when you don’t play, but I’m still part of the team. New York is a good city, no question, but there are 30 teams.’’
The Clippers didn't ask forward Kenyon Martin to return, but the former No. 1 overall pick says that he played a pivotal role for the club last season, writes Nate Taylor of the New York Times. “I did what I had to do to help them win,” Martin said. “Without me, I don’t think they would have got out of the first round.”
Jason Kidd gave an honest answer when he was asked if he was worried about playing without Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "No matter if they come back or not, we got to figure out how to stop the bleeding," Kidd said. "When they do come back, that doesn't guarantee us anything, because we've had them and we lost. We've got to get out of this funk."
Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal explains why Martin has been so much better than expected in New York.

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